NEW YORK – Diagnostics firm Biodesix announced on Friday that it will develop a minimal residual disease (MRD) test for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) under a master sponsored research agreement.
The test will be developed on the Bio-Rad QX600 ddPCR System. Boulder, Colorado-based Biodesix said the agreement also covers the potential future development of other cancer diagnostic tests.
"The initiation of this research program with MSK is a significant milestone for Biodesix," Scott Hutton, CEO of Biodesix, said in a statement. "While the initial focus will be on developing a novel MRD test for solid tumors as an addition to our pipeline, Biodesix hopes to codevelop and validate a number of new test concepts under the agreement."
The firm, which focuses heavily on lung cancers, has developed several diagnostic assays, such as VeriStrat and the Primary Immune Response assay, and an artificial intelligence data analysis platform called the Diagnostic Cortex.
Last year, Biodesix added functionality to the Diagnostic Cortex to make its processes more transparent and more easily explainable to physicians.
The company also recently raised $11.7 million through a private placement of common stock.